Virginia’s Republican legislative leaders have filed suit to block Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s executive order in April restoring voting rights and the ability to seek public office to more than 200,000 felons who have completed their...
CO Approves SB 14 The COLORADO Senate approves SB 14, which among several things requires medical marijuana growers that cultivate more than 99 plants to be licensed by the state. The measure moves to the House (DENVER POST). Also in COLORADO , the...
Middle-class families across New York state received a generous gift from lawmakers this month. Included in the $153 billion state budget they passed last Sunday is a first-of-its-kind in the nation program, called the Excelsior Scholarship , proposed...
Vermont is the “greenest” state in the country, and Wyoming is the least “green,” according to analysis by the personal finance website WalletHub. WalletHub’s analysts compared all 50 states on the basis of 20 measures of...
Speaking of Sacramento, for the better part of the last two decades Sandra Dee’s Bar-B-Que & Seafood has been a prime getaway spot for many a Capitol creature. But as with all things, the place could now maybe use a bit of a facelift, so owner...
With current interest rates making borrowing cheaper than ever, it’s never been a better time for state and local governments to invest in infrastructure. But government bond issues are at their lowest level in decades. The $140 billion in municipal...
CO Voters to Consider Minimum Wage Increase A proposal to raise COLORADO’s minimum wage appears to be headed for the state’s November ballot, with backers saying this month that they expected to deliver 200,000 petition signatures to the...
California looks to be headed for another busy and expensive campaign season. More initiatives have already qualified for the state’s November ballot than in the last two decades. “We’re expecting at least 15, maybe as high as...
ID Endorses SB 1154 The IDAHO House and Senate endorse SB 1154, which would allow human trafficking victims to petition courts to vacate and expunge criminal records involving prostitution charges and other minor offenses that occurred during the period...
A gubernatorial holiday open house is a lot of work for everyone. But all of the chores don’t fall only to those employed by the executive branch. Case in point comes in the form of Kristi Kraft, the head baker at the Juneau, Alaska bakery known...
HOGAN PROPOSES NEW TIMETABLE FOR MD EMISSIONS TESTS MARYLAND Gov. Larry Hogan (R) proposed giving Old Line State drivers an extra year before their vehicles would have to undergo an initial emissions inspection. Current law requires the inspection...
An old adage says the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. The same can sometimes be said of the road to legislation. Today’s example comes from California, where Assemblymember Ian Calderon has sponsored a bill aimed at reducing the number...
After eight years, New Jersey doesn’t have old Chris Christie to kick around anymore. After a bit of initial popularity, a long series of scandals, faux pas and generally tone deaf behavior combined to make Christie the most unpopular governor in...
Last year Nebraska enacted a partial income tax break and Iowa approved a full exemption on military pensions. And with military retirements expected to surge with the contraction of the nation’s armed forces after two wars, lawmakers in 19 states...
Health in California The CALIFORNIA State Board of Education approves a new history and social sciences curriculum that includes new instruction on topics like financial literacy; voter education; genocide; and the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual...
Business In Wisconsin A WISCONSIN Appeals Court upholds the Badger State’s right-to-work law, which bars unions and employers from requiring that all employees pay fees to join a union, either in membership dues or “fair share” payments...
It seems pretty clear that Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens really enjoyed signing legislation recently that enacted statewide regulations on ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft. How clear? Well, as The Hill reports , he signed the bill while taking a...
FL Governor Signs HB 7055 FLORIDA Gov. Rick Scott signs HB 7055 , which will create a new voucher to pay for private school tuition for Sunshine State students who are bullied. The bill also creates a scholarship to pay for tutors for kids who fail...
When it comes to the issue of election reform, the Texas Legislature, dominated by Republicans, leans far more in the direction of tightening voter identification and other requirements to prevent fraud than toward expanding voter access. But this month...
Illinois Signs SB 31 ILLINOIS Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) signs SB 31 , a bill that prohibits police from searching, arresting or detaining someone solely because of immigration status, or because of so-called federal immigration detainers. The law does...
Wolf Calls PA Finances ‘Ticking Time Bomb’ PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Tom Wolf (D) warned lawmakers last week that the Keystone State’s finances are a ticking “time bomb” leading the state toward “a fiscal catastrophe the...
Calling it a “global challenge” that “requires bold action on the part of governments everywhere,” California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed a new agreement last month with leaders from 11 states and countries pledging to work together...
Washington Senate Approves Gas Tax Increase The WASHINGTON Senate passed a $15 billion transportation package this month that included an 11.7-cent increase in the gas tax. The 27-22 vote came shortly after Lt. Gov. Brad Owen (D) declared he would...
OR Water Conservation Review Faced with worsening drought conditions, OREGON Gov. Kate Brown (D) directed all state agencies to review their water usage, implement conservation plans and report their progress to the state Water Resources Department...
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R) issued Executive Order No. 76 last week, which will create a multi-agency task force aimed at finding better ways to treat people with mental health or substance abuse issues. The North Carolina Mental Health and Substance...